Smoking From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about smoking of tobacco and other drugs. For the method of food preparation, see Smoking (cooking). For other uses, see Smoking (disambiguation). Page semi-protected Part of a series on Smoking Tobacco[hide] Advertising Tobacco Health effects Industry Politics Prevalence of consumption Cannabis[hide] Cannabis Plant Effects Legality Medical use Religious and spiritual use Opium[hide] Den Opiate Opioid Papaver somniferum (opium poppy) Psychoactive drug First Opium War Second Opium War Crack[hide] Cocaine Crack house Epidemic Other[hide] DMT Heroin Meth Narcotics PCP v t e Smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke breathed in to be tasted or inhaled. Most commonly the substance is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant which has been rolled into rice paper into a small, round cylinder called a "cigarette". This is primarily practiced as a route of administration for what has come to be termed "recreational drug use" because the combustion of the dried plant leaves releases active substances into the body. In the case of cigarette smoking these substances are contained in a mixture of aerosol particles and gasses and include the pharmacologically active alkaloid nicotine; the vaporization creates heated aerosol and gas to form that allows inhalation and deep penetration into the lungs where absorption into the bloodstream of the active substances occurs. In some cultures, smoking is also carried out as a part of various rituals, where participants use it to help induce trance-like states that, they believe, can lead them to "spiritual enlightenment". Cigarettes are primarily industrially manufactured but also can be hand-rolled from loose tobacco and rolling paper. Other smoking implements include pipes, cigars, bidis, hookahs, vaporizers, and bongs. It has been suggested that smoking-related disease kills one half of all long term smokers but these diseases may also be contracted by non-smokers. A 2007 report states that, each year, about 4.9 million people worldwide die as a result of smoking.[1] Smoking is one of the most common forms of recreational drug use. Tobacco smoking is today by far the most popular form of smoking and is practiced by over one billion people in the majority of all human societies. Less common drugs for smoking include cannabis and opium. Some of the substances are classified as hard narcotics, like heroin, but the use of these is very limited as they are often not commercially available. The history of smoking can be dated to as early as 5000 BC, and has been recorded in many different cultures across the world. Early smoking evolved in association with religious ceremonies; as offerings to deities, in cleansing rituals or to allow shamans and priests to alter their minds for purposes of divination or spiritual enlightenment. After the European exploration and conquest of the Americas, the practice of smoking tobacco quickly spread to the rest of the world. In regions like India and Sub-Saharan Africa, it merged with existing practices of smoking (mostly of cannabis). In Europe, it introduced a new type of social activity and a form of drug intake which previously had been unknown. Perception surrounding smoking has varied over time and from one place to another; holy and sinful, sophisticated and vulgar, a panacea and deadly health hazard. Only relatively recently, and primarily in industrialized Western countries, has smoking come to be viewed in a decidedly negative light. Today medical studies have proven that smoking tobacco is among the leading causes of many diseases such as lung cancer, heart attacks, COPD, erectile dysfunction, and can also lead to birth defects. The inherent health hazards of smoking have caused many countries such as Singapore to institute high taxes on tobacco products and anti-smoking campaigns are launched every year in an attempt to curb tobacco smoking. Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 Early uses 1.2 Popularization 1.3 Opium 1.4 Social stigma 1.5 Other substances 2 Substances and equipment 3 Health effects and regulation 3.1 Physiology 3.2 Psychology 4 Prevention 5 Prevalence 6 Society and culture 6.1 Art 6.2 Film 6.3 Literature 6.4 Music 6.5 Economics 7 Cigarette camps 8 See also 9 References 10 Notes 11 External links

• published: 03 Aug 2014
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